DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal raises £13.5 million in two days as aid workers sound alarm over food shortages

The Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) appeal to help people affected by the large-scale flooding in Pakistan has raised £13.5 million after just two days, it was announced today, amid warnings that hunger and malnutrition are on the rise as a result of the floods. 
 
The total includes £5 million matched pound-for-pound by the UK Government through the Aid Match scheme. 
 
The DEC launched the appeal on Thursday to help some of the 33 million people affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan, which have submerged one third of the country. Appeal films presented on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky by activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and on the BBC by actor, writer and broadcaster Adil Ray aired after the evening news, prompting tens of thousands of donations. 

DEC Director of Programmes & Accountability Madara Hettiarachchi said: 
 
“The floods are continuing to rage across Pakistan with hospitals having been badly damaged and access to healthcare becoming increasingly limited. People are struggling to get access to food and medical supplies, and there is a high risk of disease outbreaks. We are fearful of what is to come, and in the next few days we must do all we can to reach the most isolated communities that have been cut off. We are asking the public to be as generous as they can to get help to as many people as possible.” 

Eleven of the DEC’s member charities are responding to the disaster and are warning that the immediate crisis is far from over, particularly in the south of the country. Getting food to people is a particular concern after food supplies were damaged or lost, crops destroyed and livestock killed. 
 
Jennifer Ankrom-Khan, Country Director for Action Against Hunger in Pakistan said:   

“The situation is shocking and the figures are far worse than are even being reported in the media right now. Rivers are still flowing and particularly in Sindh, the majority of the province is underwater. With no income, no one is able to feed themselves. Crops and food stores have been destroyed, electricity and communication is down.  

People are malnourished, weak, and hungry. Pakistan is a country where a third of the population is food insecure and levels of acute malnutrition which are far above what we could consider the ‘normal’, even for an emergency. Hundreds of thousands require instant feeding to prevent death, and one in two children are not developing properly because of chronic malnutrition.”  

Diarrhoea is also prevalent, and directly linked to malnutrition. It can be life threatening. We are so grateful for any support that can be offered. If we don’t act now lives will be lost.” 

DEC charities are working to provide food, clean water and emergency shelter as well as healthcare, essential hygiene supplies and sanitation. 

• £10 could provide essential hygiene supplies for two people  
• £50 could provide emergency shelter for two families  
• £100 could provide emergency food for two families for a month 

ENDS 

Notes to editors:    

Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours).    

For interview requests, please contact: pressofficemanager@dec.org.uk   

A collection of recent images and footage is available here. 

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.       

Eleven of the DEC’s 15 member charities are confirmed to be responding either directly or through trusted local partners and will receive funds from this appeal, with others currently assessing the situation. The 11 members responding so far are Action Against Hunger, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and Tearfund. 

The UK government matched, pound for pound, the first £5 million of public donations to the DEC Pakistan Appeal through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s UK Aid Match scheme. This was part of a £16.5m package of support to provide immediate help to people living in the most hard hit areas. 

Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. UK government match funding will double British public’s own donations to the DEC appeal up to £5 million and will ensure that DEC member charities working on the ground can reach even more people in need. 

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently to support people affected by the conflict in Ukraine and to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to people in desperate need in Afghanistan.  

Through UK Aid Match, FCDO gives the British public the opportunity to decide how the UK aid budget is spent and support people in desperate need by matching their donations pound-for-pound. 

How to donate:        

• Online: dec.org.uk   
• Phone: 0330 678 1000. Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply  
• SMS: To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70000. Texts cost £10 plus the standard network charge and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer's permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to  www.dec.org.uk.  
• Or donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque by post to DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.